Okay, I've debated starting this thread now because 1) its still early and my real work on the new room won't start for another month and 2) I cower at the thought of competing with Sandmanx's awesome work :).

But, I've decided to go ahead and get this out here because I've gotten so many great ideas from you guys that someone might point something out I haven't thought of and I can correct/incorporate it all that much sooner.

So, here goes. Third times a charm. The new room will be The Farm House Cinema (our new house is a farm style).

I'm using a photo album to track progress and post pictures but will also post items and thoughts in here. The main album page can be accessed here:

http://ebrcinema.myphotoalbum.com/

I will break up the project into different phases and create albums for each phase. Right now, there is:

Design (http://ebrcinema.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02) and Framing (http://ebrcinema.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01)

But both of those (and the subsequent phases) are accessible from the main link above and in my signature.

Here's a taste of what the new room will look like (thanks Reaper):

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Pass240001sm.jpg

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Pass240003sm.jpg

The following post will be my current thoughts on the equipment that will go in the new room.

Thanks for all the help both past and future - here we go again...

Okay, so here's the current thinking on what's going in the room:

Amps etc.

Bringing my Lexicon and QSC amps from the last two rooms
Still keeping my Pio Elite 301 disk DVD changer (but will add blu-ray when avail)
Audio Processor will probably be a high end receiver that I use as just a pre-pro
Video processing - I still have my Faroudja but this will probably be supplanted by my new projector

Speakers

Front L/R - Ascend 340SE
Center - Rocket "bigfoot"
Surrounds - Axiom QS8 (4)
Sub - SVS PB12+/2

Projector

Leaning very hard towards a Ruby. Looks to me like just what I've been waiting for to make the leap to digital. It will be a while before I purchase, though so we'll see what else comes out in the meantime.

Screen

My design pretty much needs an acoustically transparent screen this time (due to a notch in the front wall of the room). Planning on making one with Dazian Coated Celtic Cloth.

Lighting

A bunch of the 2" recessed low voltage halogen cans Now have mostly 4" recessed cans and four sconces on the wall, rope light and step lights like before. All controlled with Lutron Grafik Eye 3106.

Seating

Thinking probably Berkline 088s this time. A little smaller than the 090s I had but look pretty comfy. The smaller size will allow seating for 8 instead of 6 and the lower back height should be better for surround.

That's it for now.

Dude, you are crazy!

You gotta learn to stay put and be happy with what you have! I don't know what the rest of the house has looked like on both of the previous two theaters, but I hope this was a move up instead of lateral, since that would mean just starting over on the theater to get the same kind of house....

Good luck, and I will be following this thread and Sandman's too!

Interesting to see al the framing details of the room with in a room.

Since this is your third theater, what are some of the things you are fixing this time?

Nice plan and design once again. http://www.simcitycentral.net/forums/images/smiles/icon_thumbsup.gif

It's kind of funny that when I first stumbled upon AVS your HT was one of the first I saw, and modeled my early designs around your first room. That was nearly four years ago, you're on your third theater and I'm barely finishing up mine!

I've changed my design several times during the process, and now it looks nothing like your original theater. That being said, if the renderings you've posted are reflective of the final design (color, trim, etc.) then we'll end up with very similar rooms after all.

Best of luck and I look forward to following your progress.

Thanks for the comments so far.

Greg - Hmmm...what am I fixing....? Well, I dunno that I'm fixing all that much but doing a few things differently. A lot of it is due to the fact this one is in the basement and just changing the look to fit with the house (again).

I didn't have full "room w/in room" before because the room was on the second floor bordering attic space.

I will have a more traditional two color wall this time because the basement area outside the theater will have a wood v-groove wainscot painted green.

I am going to go even farther toward trying to get the acoustics right this time by trying to get the equipment in there before (at least some of) the treatments and take measurments and try things out.

I will be trying out bass trapping this time because I love good clean bottom end (no snide comments from the peanut gallery, please :)). I'm going to have what I think will be a Kick A$$ sub this time (ooh, I forgot that up above - gotta add speakers) so want to be sure I have things tamed in the bass region.

I hope to not have a 200lb beast to hoist up on the ceiling.

That's all I can think of at the moment...

Oh my god.

You've certainly raised the bar on HT serial construction!

Good luck and I look forward to seeing it take shape.

Randy

Very minor progress today. Conduit for projector wiring in place.

Now, if I can just get the HVAC guy and electrician in there I can start pulling all the low-voltage wires...

Looking forward to your progress. Question. What is that framed out area in the back of the room with no door? Looks like a great place for the equipment rack, but I notice its on the side wall. What other room shares the wall with the equipment rack? Curious how you plan to get to the back of it.

http://ebrcinema.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album02&id=theater_layout_jpg

Bud

That layout picture is slightly inaccurate because the program I used to draw it had to have a rectangular box for the outside perimiter of the room. Actually, that area that looks like a room with no door is a notch in the room. On the other side is a wet bar for the basement rec area just outside the theater.

That shared wall is a 2x4 wall inside of a double 2x6 wall. The side wall where the equipment rack and room actually are is only shared with a basement storage area so it is just single wall construction.

There is a door to the equipment room from outside the theater for accessing the back of the equipment. This room will also be where all my wiring for the house comes in.

Make sense?

Yup, got it. Good luck with it. We'll be watching!

Bud

I had to change my lighting plan. Turns out the 2" cans I got (and thought I found such a great deal on) have electronic transformers in them. Rats. GE would require an interface for each zone with those lights (would be 3). Even at eBay prices, that's too much more money to throw at these lights so I've switched them out.

Bought Halo air tight 4" cans and will put them in instead of the 2" MR16 versions. Hopefully, with halogen PAR20s they will still give the effect and lighting that I want.

Very slow progress on the house construction front. But, I did get my recessed cans in and they finally framed my equipment rack opening properly (why does everything have to be done twice before its done right...?).

Hopefully, the electrician will be done tomorrow and I can start running my wiring.

Completed my cabling for the room today. Electrician finally finshed his stuff (well, almost) and I am going on vacation on Tue and they plan to insulate while I'm gone. So had to get it all done today. Manged to get it run and made it home for kickoff.

My current delimma is this return:

http://www.reedsplace.com/returnsm.JPG

Worried, of course, it will completely negate all the isolation I've gone to so much trouble to acheive. I will line it with linacoustic and then I asked a question in the GG thread about maybe putting a sandwich of acoustic tiles and GG on the top of it to make it not be just a thin layer of sheet metal.

Any thoughts from you guys on this are appreciated too.

P.S. This return serves only this room - the ducts don't connect to any other part of the house - I'm just worried about the metal box itself not stopping sound getting up into the ceiling cavity.

A couple of minor updates.

I did the Acoustic Tile GG sandwich thing (used 3 tiles with GG between) and stuck it to the top of that return. It made a large difference in the sound when I thump on the return side. It went from "Pingggggg" to "thud". So, I think that's good.

Also, while waiting for them to insulate and then hang drywall, I ordered a yard of a couple of fabric colors I'm considering and then mocked up some frames to put them together in an almost full-sized wall for figuring out which way to go. I still have a couple other fabrics on the way, But I think this is the way I'm going to go:

http://www.reedsplace.com/wallsamp1sm.jpg

These are different colors than I had thought I was going to use. This is a darker green on the bottom and the same color I had in my last room on the top. I like the darker green a lot better than the other one but it is a different texture than the upper fabric. I wanted to see an almost full sized mockup to see if that was going to be a problem. Now that I've done that, I don't think it will be.

Also, it looks darker than this in real life - the flash really lights it up unnaturally.

Man, the bottom one looks actually black here on my PC. The top looks like a light grey. Maybe my eyes are going. Is that the stain you're going with? I'm looking at them now. What is it? My wife likes the Minwax Rosewood. It's not bad, but haven't settled yet.

Bud

dark green would be nice - they say "geniuses" choose dark/forest greens :D

Yeah, the colors don't reproduce well at all with the flash. On my best monitor you can tell its green but the other two make it look almost black.

The stain is a "chestnut" on select grade pine. Its made by poloplaz which only sells through contractors. I'm going to have to get it through my builder. I tried all the minwax ones and they don't look as good as this one.

Just a quick update. They insulated today. Progress...albeit slow.

Slow progress is still progress!

Sheetrock!

http://www.reedsplace.com/P3014299sm.jpg

Just a little more taping and floating and we'll be ready for the real work to begin...

Today, I started building the steps for the riser. Not glamorous, but its something :).

I started a new album on my site to track the interior construction. It can be reached through the link in my sig.

Here's a real good look at what I've done for sound isolation. This is the only wall shared by another room.

http://www.reedsplace.com/P3014303sm.jpg

Double studs, two layers of rock and GG between.

The ceiling is also completely separate from the floor system above. True "room within a room".

Finished the steps today. Not real exciting, but more progress.

Caulk on the bottom of step framing, insulation inside, liquid nails and roofing felt under the top.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3024307sm.JPG

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3044310sm.JPG

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3044311sm.JPG

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3044309sm.JPG

Okay, made some good progress the past week.

First order of real business is fixing the symmetry of the front of the room. I had to have a weird "bump" in one side of my front wall in order to get the width and depth of the room that I wanted (it follows the foundation). When Bryan (Pape who is helping me with acoustic design this time) saw that he about had a heart attack :). So, we are building a mirrored bump out on the other side.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm0.JPG

So, since we have to build this thing Bryan decided lets take advantage of it and do something useful with it. So, we're turning the front part of it into a sealed panel absorber to help tame some of the bass down under 70hz.

First just frame it out normally:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm1.JPG

Then the inside of the front wall is covered with 3/4" MDF (man what a pain to work with...):

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm2.JPG

and sealed air tight with caulk:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm3.JPG

both sides to be sure:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm4.JPG

Then I filled the inside cavity corner with some R-19 being sure to cover the ceiling and wall for tri-corner coverage (I put the ceiling treatment up after this pic):

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm5.JPG

Not sure if that's gonna do much inside of this walled off space, but it can't hurt.

Then fill the joist cavities in the side wall with R-19:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm6.JPG

And cover the side wall with drywall (rough finish because this will all be invisible):

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/abswallsm7.JPG

I have to wait for my OC703 to arrive to finish the absorber part. So to be continued...

Since I have the main structure of the bump out mirror done, I can move on to other things.

So I started laying out the sub platform. PT 2x10s on top of 30lb roofing felt:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/subplatsm1.JPG

This part of the front stage will be built de-coupled from everything else and will be filled with sand. This way, I minimize the amount of area that has to have sand. Hey, that stuff is heavy, and its a long way down into this basement...

Anyway, the front part of the stage area can just be filled with insulation.

More to come.

ebr,

Nice to see some of bpape's ideas come to life! I will be building one of these in my room too. Great job on it BTW and keep the pics coming. I love to see stuff like this :)

Thanks, Steve. Looks like you're making good progress on your room. 52 panels....wow. You and Greg Powers are crazy :).

I'm kinda glad my new house is more traditional in nature so that the paneled look doesn't fit. Otherwise, I'd be making "GPowers" panels too.

Looking good ebr! So how wide is that space where you built the front stage? Is the screen going in between the two bumps?

I have barely scratched the surface understanding accoustics, but I was surprised that you put a piece of drywall over the insulation. I was expecting GOM or the like. Was this a situation where symmetry was the key, and absorbtion was a bonus?

Just curious, how far is the distance from left - right front speakers? Do all three fit inside that alcove? If so, was this suggested by an audio guy? How deep are the speaker baffles (front of speakers) depth wise

Big - The space between the bumps (now referred to as "the hole" by Bryan and me) is right at 9' wide. Yes, the screen will end up being across there. I will only have an 8' wide 2.35:1 screen. For me, that is plenty big for a room this size.

dc - Yes, symmetry was the key. We needed another reflective surface there so we would have the same shape for sound to reflect off of.

Mark - The speakers will end up closer together than I'd like but I'm hoping that won't be too big of an issue. They'll end up being about 7' apart.

Bryan and I have gone round and round on exactly how and where to place the front speakers because of this nasty bump out thing. In the end, I think I've settled on making the screen wall such that it is basically even with the bump out walls. So the speaker fronts will come right out to that point (all three behind the screen). Bryan thinks this will minimize the effect of the "hole" on the front soundstage.

I'm not sure I know exactly what you're asking on the depth of the baffles. The entire speaker is about 10.5" deep. I plan on Ascend 340SEs for the front L/R and the Rocket bigfoot for the center.

I plan on Ascend 340SEs for the front L/R and the Rocket bigfoot for the center.
ebr,

Do you already own the Rocket center and that is why you are using it? If not, is there a good timbre match between the Rockets and the Ascends? I like the Ascends but feel the center may not be beefy enough. Since Bud will have his HT dones before mine, I'm waiting to hear how it sounds in his "bpape treated" room.

ebr,

I was wondering how deep in the "hole" the front of your speakers were. And if they were flush if your audio guy was worried about baffle step or boundry gain or if they were too deep in the hole having a number of problems. Just thinking out loud, I would imagine your audio guy has it all figured out. 7' soundstage coming out of a hole was making me nervous for you for some reason.

Steve - I don't already own any of the speakers. From my research, I really think I'll like the Ascend mains but, like you, I don't think the center is "enough". I have heard nothing but raves about the Rocket center and it certainly is beefy.

There was an audio shoot out sometime last year and in that blind test, the participants could not tell the difference between the Rockets and the Ascends in most cases. Based on that, I am guessing they will be a good match. But, if not, I will return the one(s) I like the least.

Mark - I agree. It was making me and Bryan pretty nervous too, but I think we have it worked out. By putting the speaker faces up almost out of the hole and treating the heck out of the inside of it (the rear part will have 7" thick absorption), we think we'll be okay.

In my past rooms I have always had my L/R speakers in the proscenium wall. Due to that blasted foundation bump, however, that was just not practical in this one. Oh well, this is always a series of trade-offs. If it sounds horrible the way we have it planned - I'll figure something else out.

Steve - I don't already own any of the speakers. From my research, I really think I'll like the Ascend mains but, like you, I don't think the center is "enough". I have heard nothing but raves about the Rocket center and it certainly is beefy.
Well, with that said, I will be interested in what you think once you get them installed in your room. So do you have a completion date yet? April '06?? ;)

I am working alongside the contruction of the house. I plan to have the room ready when the rest of the house is ready, which should be the first or second week in June.

You should finish well ahead of me :).

Minor progress today. Started actually assembling the sub platform members.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3144366sm.jpg

Some foam tape and a thick bead of caulk on the bottom.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3144367sm.jpg

I'll let the caulk dry overnight and then set it down in place.

Here is the "test lot" of sand. I'll see how far this sand goes and that will tell me how much more I need to buy and haul down here.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3144365sm.jpg

Just eyeballing it, I'm thinking about 3 bags per cavity which will work out to be a little over a 1/2 ton of sand. Not as much as some, but I'm still dreading it...

Eric,

I used a handtruck to move the sand. If you can use/have one, I recommend it. I brought it 4-5 bags at a time. Use a piece of scrap plywood for a ramp through the door if need be.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6816329&&#post6816329

Bud

Thanks, Bud. Funny you should mention that as I brought those four bags in on my hand truck today :). Great minds, I guess...

My last room was on the second floor. I only had to carry about 10 bags for that one but, man, that was a pain. This one, being a basement was no sweat for this initial small load with the hand truck as it was all downhill. Hopefully, I should only need about 25 bags this time. That's only five or six trips so I'll quit complaining about it.

Just eyeballing it, I'm thinking about 3 bags per cavity which will work out to be a little over a ton of sand. Not as much as some, but I'm still dreading it...

Just out of curiosity, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy sand by the truckload ? I mean like a few of cubic yards of washed bricksand. :confused:

ifeliciano,

The play sand tends to be pretty dry (usually, but not in all cases) since it's bagged and sometimes indoors at HD or Lowes. Sits there for a long time too. Mine was outdoors when I bought it, but it was covered by an overhang and it was wrapped on a pallet. Mine was very, very dry. Its been recommended here by others that if your sand is wet you let it dry out before covering your stage.

Bud

Just out of curiosity, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy sand by the truckload ? I mean like a few of cubic yards of washed bricksand. :confused:
Cheaper yes...but a real pain in the rear to transport! bags make it much easier. If a guy would plan ahead and dump the sand into the basement during a new house construction, it might be easier. Except for the fact that you would have a pile of sand to work around. :D

Cheaper yes...but a real pain in the rear to transport! bags make it much easier. If a guy would plan ahead and dump the sand into the basement during a new house construction, it might be easier. Except for the fact that you would have a pile of sand to work around. :D

I guess it would be a hassle if it was for a basement HT. My sand will serv other purposes also like filling voids and leveling my front yard. Anyhow by the time Im at the sand in the stage level it will be 100° here in TX so im not worried about the sand being wet. ;)

Thanks for the input guys !!

Looking good ebr.
I used the exact same sand from Lowe's.
QuikCrete playsand. Much better, i.e. drier than the stuff at HD.
IMO, bags are much easier to deal with especially when it comes time to fill the stage cavities.
My HT is in the basement, I used a wheelbarrow and ramp for the french doors
I just put the bag in the cavity, slit the sides with a knife and let gravity do it's job.

I bought a full pallet of 56 bags and used 45 in the stage.

I saw your question re: PT lumber for stage and riser on Bud's thread.
No harm is using PT except for the price and nastiness of the wood itself.
In fact it's likely superior. No need to line with plastic. That was a pain for me.

FWIW, I cannot remember anyone else using PT but sure enough now that I've written those words, a horde of people will prove me wrong!

ebr, are you still planning on going with the SVS PB12+2 for your sub? I have one and I don't think you'll be disappointed. For me, this was the best money I spent in my room.

ifeliciano - I'm not sure it would be cheaper. We're only talking about $90 in play sand. I'd have to think having a load that small delivered would cost at least that much. Plus what everyone else says - very hard to deal with, almost impossible to keep dry, etc. You're in Arlington so humidity wouldn't be that much of a problem. I built my first theater in Houston, though. That would have been a different story...

Interesting, Milt. Code here says if lumber is gonna be on concrete - it has to be treated. I'm just not sure if putting the layer of roofing felt down would negate that.

evvlwisc - Yes, the SVS is still the plan :).

Today was sand day. 1150lbs worth. Not that bad, but I'm glad its over.

First set the platform down in the right place and then caulked the inside edges.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3154368sm.jpg

Then, upon inspecting the front outside edge of the platform and noticing how non-flat the slab was, I decided plastic was not such a bad idea...

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3154369sm.jpg

Filling with sand now.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3154370sm.jpg

And whole platform filled.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3154371sm.jpg

The sandbag graveyard:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3154372sm.jpg

As an aside, I checked with my local inspection authority and they confirmed that, even with the asphalt layer underneath, pressure treated wood is required when building directly on top of concrete slab.

Finally, for any of you who are following this on the MyPhotoAlbum site (link in my sig) I realized today that the "Interior Construction" album was going to get way too big so I reorganized it into sub-albums. Hope that's helpful and not worse...

Got the top on the sub platform.

Two layers of OSB sub-flooring with a liquid nails/30lb felt sandwich.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3164374sm.jpg

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3164375sm.jpg

This thing isn't going anywhere...

Started on the rest of the stage today. Just laying out the different pieces here. I always like to measure and cut everything before actually attaching anything.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3184376sm.jpg

PT 2x10s again. A pain to work with but I want to do it right since it will be inspected along with the rest of the house.

To get the proper curve for the radius front, I went to a large open part of the house and measured out a 20' peice of string. Attatched one end to the base of a wall and tied a pencil on the other. Put the brown paper you see there down under the pencil and then traced the arc with my makeshift compass. The string stretched a bit so not perfect but that was close enough for me to be able to lay the paper down in the proper spot and then measure the different points for the framing members.

If the layout looks familiar, well, I asked Sandman if I could rip off his design... :)

More progress on the stage.

Here I'm attaching the facing (1/4" plywood) to create the curve.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3204377sm.jpg

Now, to cut the top along the proper curve but with a 2" lip, I decided to use the stage itself as a jig. I flipped it upside down onto two sheets of 3/4" OSB:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3204378sm.jpg

Now, my jig saw happens to have about a 2" guide on it, so I just run it along up against the facing:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3204380sm.jpg

And, viola! Curve cut following the stage perfectly and with a 2" lip:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3204381sm.jpg

Here is most of the main part of the stage laid out on the roofing felt:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3204382sm.jpg

Nothing is actually tied together here, just laying it out and fitting everything.

Also, the front part of the stage does not touch the sub platform:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3204384sm.jpg

Tomorrow...I get to work on the step. I don't think I can use my "stage as a jig" trick there because I need to tie some of the parts together in order to build the step - and I think it will be too heavy to manipulate at that point. We'll see...

Man... now I'm starting to waiver on my speaker choice.

Starting to get a little nervous about "mixing" speakers from different manufacturers across the front 3 speakers - even though, supposedly, the Rockets and Ascends sound very much alike.

I think I'm really stuck on having that beast that is the RSC200, though, so If I waiver it will probably be to all Rockets. One thing that really has me thinking is that, by buying their 550 Ultimate HT package, I get FOUR RS550s for an average price of about $700/pr. While I don't need four of them in the HT room, those other two 550s would be great in the TV watching, card playing, music listening room just outside the theater...

Decisions, decisions. Any advice...?

Well, I have not heard either brand of speaker, but I always say that if you can use the same brand, same series of speaker to do so across the front, if not all around. I used the same drivers and same crossover components in the speakers I built, all the way around, to make sure the sound was the same.

Thanks, Scott.

The funny thing is the RSC200 appears to be kind of its own beast - doesn't match exactly with any of the Rocket speakers. But, from what I've read, it is a really nice beast - and that is the most important speaker in HT IMO.

I think I'm definitely leaning towards the Rocket 550s to go with the bigfoot. I haven't cancelled my order for Ascend 340s yet, but I may in the next little while.

On the construction front, I tied all the stage parts together today and built the step framing. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll get the top for the step cut and then can fill the stage and screw down the tops.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3214387sm.jpg

Looking good. Is that PT plywood? :)

I can vouch for the Ascends. I don't think you'd be disappointed. I'm really enjoying mine. Don't forget about the 30 day return policy!!

Bud

Looking good. Is that PT plywood? :)



Yeah, I knew someone would have something to say about that ;). Truth is, I didn't even think about it when I bought the material and didn't want to go back and switch it out. In reality, I don't expect pressure treated vs. non-treated to make a whit of difference. I just wanted to please the inspector. Hopefully, the facing won't be an issue.

On the speakers, I am really torn so I'm not gonna do anything just yet. I'll let my order with Ascend sit and think about it for a while longer.

Got the step top cut this afternoon and started filling the stage with insulation before I ran out of time. Didn't get a picture either. I'll shoot some tomorrow as I finish off the stage construction. Whew.

You're building a great theater, I'm looking forward to following the progress. Regarding your 3 front speaker selection issue, I think you have the perfect opportunity to match them. Since the speakers are behind a screen, you should look at using 3 identical speakers, rather then going with the traditional center channel. In my opinion, this will result in the best possible sound - choose the mains that you prefer, and add a 3rd for the center channel.

el - Unfortunately, I'm really smitten with that Rocket bigfoot for a center. So, I can't really match it exactly. I'm a believer that the center channel is a different beast and I like the three way setup (with midrange driver) of the bigfoot since it mostly produces vocals and other midrange and upper bass frequencies.

So, I'm left with "matching" it with either rockets or ascends (both of which are two-way speakers and supposedly sound a lot alike). I think I'll probably leave my order with Ascend, try them out when they get here and go from there.

Thanks for the input and the kudos.

Three Rocket Bigfoots in front? :)

Three Rocket Bigfoots in front? :)

Ooooh... naaahhhh. ;)

Okay...on the construction front I got the step top cut. I had to just trace with a pencil and cut by hand this time. Luckily carpet hides my rough cuts.

Here, I'm filling the stage with insulation:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3234390sm.jpg

Blown insulation just put in by hand. It's cheaper than the pink stuff (whole stage took less than two bags) and easy.

Stage all filled:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3234392sm.jpg

And tops screwed on:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3234393sm.jpg

Two layers of 3/4" OSB with subfloor adhesive and 30lb felt between.

The stage is almost complete. The last thing I want to do is put a bull-nose on it by glueing and tacking two peices of shoe mold to the front edge. I'm doing that instead of routing a roundover because my curve cuts are fairly rough. By attaching the shoe mold, it will completely smooth it out to a nice round radius.

Hopefully, I get that done tomorrow and then I can take a couple days off before attacking the next part of the project.

Okay, I've decided to take a first step in figuring out my speaker dilemma. I've just ordered a pair of Ascend 170s to try out the sound and build quality. I need a new pair of small speakers for the TV/Poker/Party room outside the theater anyway. So, these will go there if I like them, and help me to decide to keep the order in for the 340s.

Also, I grabbed a close-out on a Rocket ELT-SW10 to go with them. It was a 10in 200w sub for $175. I couldn't pass it up :).

ebr,

Stage looks great. Nice to see it put together. I love the shape!

Thanks, Steve. I ripped it off from Sandman and I like it too :).

I'm thinking I'm going to carpet the top parts but put some nicer wood facing on the vertical portions and stain it to match the rest of the trim. I think that will help the nice lines and curve to stand out a bit more. We'll see how adventurous I am with all that when the time comes...

ebr - saw in another thread that you mentioned that you decoupled the rear section(that was filled with sand) with the front section. Could not see from your post what size gap you left 1/8" , 1/4" ?

What are you planning on covering the stage with to hid the gap?

ebr - saw in another thread that you mentioned that you decoupled the rear section(that was filled with sand) with the front section. Could not see from your post what size gap you left 1/8" , 1/4" ?

What are you planning on covering the stage with to hid the gap?

I haven't measured it but I'm guessing its about 1/2- 3/4" gap. The screen wall will be in front of the gap so it won't be covered at all. Except maybe by a scrap piece of carpet that I throw back there to sit the sub on.

Finished off the stage today. I took two pieces of "shoe" molding and put them together to make a 1/2round and then glued and tacked that to the edge of the lip of the stage. This smoothed out my rough cuts and makes a nice, even bull nose for the carpet to go around.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264397sm.jpg

My OC 703 came in yesterday so I also finished the sealed panel absorber we are building into that right side "bump out" wall.

First, Bryan was none too happy about the seams in my MDF back panel. Since I'm doing this project 100% by my lonesome there was just no way for me to handle full 8' sheets of 3/4" MDF so I had it cut to 4x4s at Lowes. Bryan was afraid that would compromise the "stiffness" required of the back panel so I took 2x4s and screwed and glued them across those seams to stiffen them up.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264398sm.jpg

Then, I took 2x2s and ran them along the edge inside the cavity (up against the back panel). This will space out the OC 703 so it is in the middle of the cavity - touching neither the back nor the front.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264399sm.jpg

Then, cut to fit and put in the OC 703.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264400sm.jpg

Another layer of caulk around the outside edge.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264401sm.jpg

And then screw on a (solid this time - 1/4" material I can handle) 1/4" piece of plywood for the front face.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264402sm.jpg

It'll be interesting to see what effect this thing has. Actually, I guess I'll never really know since there is no way to measure the room without it now... I'll just trust Bryan that it will help. Its kinda cool, though. When you thump on it with your fist it sounds like a really nice kick drum.

That's the idea. Basically a drum in reverse.

The air hits the head and it resonates over a specific frequency and is damped by the air and absorbtion inside the cavity. This is why everything has to be air tight. If not, you have no 'spring' as the air isn't being compressed.

ebr,

Don't get down on Bryan's requests (I know you were only kidding). He's made me do all kinds of tricks with my room but I have total confidence in his abilities. It's a PITA -- but in the end, your room will sound AWESOME!

Yeah, not down on Bryan at all. He's got a tall order in this one, though :). This is my third room. I thought the first one sounded awesome, but the second one was even better. So I hired Bryan this time because I need this to be even better than the last - and I have confidence that his plan will deliver it.

Oh I also forgot to mention that putting the bull nose on the stage was my first chance to use my new air tools I got for Christmas. Oh boy, what a pleasure. Made the process practically effortless.

Oh I also forgot to mention that putting the bull nose on the stage was my first chance to use my new air tools I got for Christmas. Oh boy, what a pleasure. Made the process practically effortless.
Amen brother! I wish I had one of those 20 years ago. That coupled with my DeWalt compound miter saw and 18v cordless drill and I'm in heaven. Definitely my favorite tools to have and use. Never had anything like that growing up.

Interestingly enough, my Dad bought the same tools a few years before me and he loves them too. I've heard him say many times about wishing he had them 20 years ago. I wish he had, would have had far less blisters growing up from "hand screwing" for all those projects we did together. Guess the good part is without all that "experience" (painful as it might have been), I would not have the skills to build my own HT -- so it all evens out :D

Finished off the stage today. I took two pieces of "shoe" molding and put them together to make a 1/2round and then glued and tacked that to the edge of the lip of the stage. This smoothed out my rough cuts and makes a nice, even bull nose for the carpet to go around.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3264397sm.jpg

On the rectangular part of my stage, I actually put like strip of 3/4" furring strip first, then used 3/4" half round to give the edge. That leaves me with a 1 1/2" link. I wasn't sure if they used a tack strip or not under the edge, si I figured that was safe. On the rounded part, I used plastic type molding at Lowe's, put up a 3/4" strip and then did what you did, used quarter rounds together. I used a boat load of construction adhesive, but the round one still has some give if you step on it. I'm going to predrill and drive some 3" decking screws in it to make sure there is no give.

Bud

Stage?-
Is it really necessary to to put 3/4 plywood another 1/2 then another 3/4 down?
I don't know if I want it that high.
And do you usually leave an over hang on your stage?

I just used two layers of 3/4" on my stage top. I know Dennis recommends the three layer sandwich, but, well, I was lazy, I guess.

I left a 1 1/2 - 2" overhang on mine. I think this looks much better than a straight wrap around and it makes it much easier to install carpet.

Cool thanks for the input!

I built the rack platform today. Went ahead and built it all the way across the wall of the equipment room so that I'd have a nice platform on which to put other peices of equipment (like my balanced power conditioner, etc.)

First the framing - normal 2x10s sitting on PT 2x4s this time. Still on raw concrete, thus the PT base.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3294406sm.jpg

Then, and I'm sure this is overkill, but its cheap so I did it - filled with insulation

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3294407sm.jpg

And, finally, top screwed and glued in place

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3294408sm.jpg


That's it. Not too exciting, but progress.

My Ruby is shipping tomorrow! :D

Now, if I just had a room to use it in...

Hehe. Now it's time to resist the temptation to fire up the PJ. Just remember if you do, all construction progress comes to a screeching halt...

That's a myth! I've got 250 hours on my lamp already! Well, I could be the exception, I suppose.

Looking forward to your opinion of the Ruby.

Bud

My Ruby is shipping tomorrow!
Damn I jealous. That's a nice projector.

Hehe. Now it's time to resist the temptation to fire up the PJ. Just remember if you do, all construction progress comes to a screeching halt...

I have the advantage of my room being not in the house in which I am currently living and being in a house still under construction itself. So, I don't have a decent (or maybe even any) environment in which to actually use the projector and my construction progress is limited by the progress of the house itself. Otherwise, the temptation would be great...


Still, I really want to do very minimal viewing with the projector right now. I don't want to "ruin" the experience by trying to use it in a very bad environment. I did need to go ahead and get it though because I need to finalize exactly where my screen will be - how high off the ground and, thus, how far from the ceiling and exactly how the projector will be mounted.

I also need to test some screen materials to make that decision too.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4064413sm.JPG

:D :D :D

You lucky dog, you. Where did you purchase it from?

Bud

I got it through Alan here at AVS.

Initial impression - wow this thing is huge. Much bigger than the little digitals I've seen before. Looks cool, though.

I haven't hooked up a decent source to it so I won't comment on picture quality except to say that screen door or other pixel structure is non-existent from any distance (other than a few inches from the screen on text). This makes me very happy as this is one of the big shortcomings of digital that has kept me from making the move until now.

It is also dead silent. I mean you have to put your ear right up next to it to know the fan is running. Or, put any part of your body near the rear exhaust where, I estimate, the exiting air is somewhere around 200 degrees :). I think you can bake cookies behind this thing. Glad I put my room's return right above its future mounting location.

I assume the mount is huge on it. How much does it weigh? Will you be building a box for it? Projector or hush, although not needed necessarily to keep it quiet...

Bud

I'm going to build my own mount. It weighs about 50lbs. Pretty big for a digital but nothing compared to my last projector (about 150).

The only reason I would put a box around it would be if I go with an anamorphic lens and I want to hide that. A box might look a little funny because it needs to hang down at least 2 feet off the ceiling (the small offset is the only thing I don't like about this pj). One of the reasons I got this machine this early was that I need to figure out exactly how I'm going to mount it. I'm glad I did too, because now I hear that supply is very tight.

Congrats. Nice choice. That'll definitely be an incentive to get the room done.

I could finish the room in about four weeks - its the rest of the house that is slowing me down... :)

Okay, part of the delay in my progress has been that I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I'm going to place the front speakers and, thus build the front walls.

Today, I made some progress on those decisions. Here is how I'm framing out the proscenium:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/proscenium.jpg

Its a little hard to see in this picture but, basically, the proscenium wall follows the stage side angles/shape. This is different from my renders and original design but I think this will look really nice and will allow me to move my front L/R speakers out of the "hole" if I find they just don't work in there (or I'm unhappy with an acoustically transparent screen).

Actually, the space isn't big enough for the speakers I hope to use (Ascend 340SEs) so I'll have to switch to different ones if I have trouble with my planned placement - behind the screen.

As always, I'm open to suggestions on how this looks vs. my original design. Thanks.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4064413sm.JPG

:D :D :D

Wowee. :) Congrats on that baby.

Okay, started on the columns. I needed to build a couple to finalize their spacing on the walls. I also wanted to figure out a new way to build the speaker columns.

First, here's the material pre-cut. 1/2" MDF 13" and 8" widths (which will produce an 8x14 column):

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4134420sm.jpg

Now, starting to assemble the first column. This will just be a solid column in the front section of the room about 9' high. Using the same basic technique I did last time by using 2x2s as corner attachments to create the boxes that are the columns. The big difference this time is that I now have the compressor and finish nailer. Before I used screws to attach them. That is a real pain with MDF because you have to pre-drill every screw hole. This time I used wood glue and the finish nailer and it took about 1/3 the time (and was much easier - right up until I shot my finger through some material - ouch).

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4134422sm.jpg

Attaching one of the sides here:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4134423sm.jpg

Now for the speaker column. Last time I wanted to build these so they could be removed entirely for access to the speaker. This would eliminate the need for any sort of visible access panel. In the end, I found that just too difficult and put a panel on the front. This time, I'm going to try it again - but I'm building it in three sections. The top and bottom section will attach permanently and the middle section will be able to be slid off for access. That's the plan anyway.

Here is the first attempt at the bottom and middle section. Problem is, when basically free standing like this, there is no such thing as a 2x2 that is straight and true enough to work. Notice the twist:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4134424sm.jpg

So, the next plan - I'm using metal angle pieces. This is actually going to help on a couple of fronts. One, they will be straight and strong and Two they will be very low profile acoustically. My surround speakers have tweeters that fire at a 45 degree angle. This would basically fire right into a 2x2 if it was in this spot. These metal pieces have holes and may turn out to be much more acoustically transparent. My one fear is that the sub is going to generate some frequency at which these things might start "singing". But, I'm hoping if that happens, I will be able to use some sort of material to damp them and take care of that problem.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4144425sm.jpg

I had to get the router out and take off the corner of the middle column section so the metal would lay properly on it.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4144426sm.jpg

Here are the three different sections in the room:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4154441sm.jpg

And assembled:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4154442sm.jpg

Finally, both columns against the wall. Still not 100% sure on exact placement.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4154443sm.jpg

Interesting ideas there. It seems as if the angle iron will work out really well in this situation.

How is the finger? :) I hate it when something like that happens, it is always just as things are moving along nicely!

Thanks, Scott. Finger is much better now. You know, when it happened it was no big deal - didn't even hurt very much. So I just ignored it and moved on. By the next morning it was infected and hurt like a bugger. Opened it back up, poured in hydrogen peroxide some antibiotic cream and it got better quickly.

Tip: If nailing two pieces of 1/2" material with a 1 1/2" nail, don't hold the material right behind where you're nailing... Actually, no matter what the thickness, don't put any part of your person back there :).

Yah, those pneumatic nailers are fantatic, they nail thru anything, including body parts!

Glad your ok though, if you havent had a tetnus shot in the last 10 years, you might to go get one just incase =).

On a more positive note, your MDF you had precut, did big blue or big orange do that for you? or did you have a friend do it?

I really need a table saw, but with no room for it, i'd love to have someone cut em for me, for a reasonable fee.

I cut it myself (I have a 10" Ryobi table saw). By "pre-cut" I just meant I cut all the material first before I started assembling anything. The big guys will do cuts, but they don't take any responsibility for any sort of precision. Still, if you talk nice to one of the guys, they might take special care and do it for you. Its worth a try.

OTOH, if there's any way you can make the room, a table saw is one of the couple of absolutely mandatory tools for these projects. Even a small, portable contractor saw can get you by in most cases.

I know, its on the top of my list to get.. If i can convince the wife to let me throw away all the kids toys they dont play with anymore, or better yet, have a yard sale, the table saw is a done deal...

Very, very high on the list =). In fact everyone where I work makes fun of me, when I talk about my need for a TS. =(.

mastiff34, if you want to get rid of things, try Freecycle.

http://www.freecycle.org/

It works really well, if you have something that somebody else may be able to use, put it on there, if there is a local group for your area, instead of filling up the dumps. I just got rid of some wicker chairs that we had on our porch since I just built some new adirondack chairs to go in their place. I posted the wicker chairs and had a response saying somebody wanted them within a few hours. They came and picked them up this morning.

I got the impression that, if he were to post everything he'd like to on that site, he would probably have to post his wife and kids too... ;)

You know, there may be some takers, you never know! :) Does she cook? Have her own boat? Does she have pictures of her boat?

sorry, couldn't resist.

Naw, i'll keep the wife and kids, who else will I watch movies with?

I want to get rid of the junk we tend to accumulate over time, I must have like
8 infact bicycles that are to small for a my 2 and 4 year old, but my wife won't
let me 86 them because we "might" have another kid, whereas i am more of
well just buy em again...

Whee!!

I always donate my old stuff. AmVets takes just about anything, and gives you a receipt. My wife relates much better to tax deductions than to the garbage. You could even argue the good samaritan route. "but honey, I'm helping under privelged kids with no bikes. You should be ashamed keeping them, SELFISH!". If you really want a smack in the mouth :)

Serioulsy the donation thing actually might give you a leg up.

Yah, we donate clothes all the time, except kid clothes, my wife thinks if we get rid of it all, that we wont want more kids or some other flawed logic, anyways, poor ebr's thread is getting off site, back on...

How about those columns ? hehe =)

Here's a real good look at what I've done for sound isolation. This is the only wall shared by another room.

http://www.reedsplace.com/P3014303sm.jpg

Double studs, two layers of rock and GG between.

The ceiling is also completely separate from the floor system above. True "room within a room".

So those 2 frames doesn't touch each other?

Looks good! You have a bunch of good ideas, but since you've already built a few of these, this is getting to be second nature right?

Where's Mooresville?

So those 2 frames doesn't touch each other?

Correct. That is two walls one built just inside the other.

Jerrod - I'm SW of you. About 20 miles north of Charlotte (near Lake Norman).

Just a quick update - I finished building the rest of the columns today and finalized their placement in the room. Now I can get to figuring out the final placement of my speakers and screen. I hope to get some sound equipment in there this week and take some measurements for use in sub placement and to give me a "before" picture for treatments.

I also want to do a little listening to the main speakers in their intended positions and make sure they don't sound constrained.

Did you put the finishing touches on the columns? Wainscotting?

Oh no, not yet. Just the "rough in" of the columns is done. I won't get to finishing them off until I'm doing the finishes (fabric and trim) for the room too. Probably about four weeks from now...

Okay, here is some more progress.

First, the rest of the columns built. These are the speaker columns and do not have their "tops" on (they are sitting there on the floor). They will go all the way to the soffit when put in place.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264491sm.jpg

Here I'm trying out how I plan to layout the fabric panels and trim and sizing up the sconces. Notice, since I changed the position of my proscenium that I'm having to move the sconces too.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264490sm.jpg

And now another small random project. I know others (like chinadog) are using long pins to hang their cotton and some have just glued it to the wall. But I will have 7" of it along the front wall so I need another way to mount it. Here's what I've come up with (with the help of Bryan):

First, I screw a 2x2 to the ceiling such that its outer edge is 3 1/2" from the wall.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264492sm.jpg

Next, I attach a 1x4 (hanging down) to that 2x2.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264493sm.jpg

Now, the 1x4 has holes drilled into it every 8" or so.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264494sm.jpg

So, when it comes time to hang my cotton, I'll do exactly that. I'll hang it from these 1x4s by sewing some string through the holes or, maybe just make some of those nifty pins like Bud did and stick them right through.

Here are both brackets in place.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264495sm.jpg

ebr,

That's a great and simple idea. I was planning to build a cage to hold up the cotton but this may be easier. I have a sloped ceiling so mine may be a little more challenging. I'll need to sit in my "thinking chair" and see what I come up with :D Thanks for the idea (both you and Bryan)!

I appears from your pictures that you'll have the added benefit of spacing the absorber away from the wall. 5 inches or so?

Jeff - The cotton is 3 1/2 inches thick. Its designed to lay with one layer on the wall and the other layer right up on that - making a 7 inch thick absorber. However, using this technique (which is unproven at this point, I might add...) would allow spacing it out very easily.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264495sm.jpg



Ah, I had assumed the 1x4s in the above picture were spaced 7" apart. I get it now. :)

Started building the shelves that will be behind the Ticket Booth facade yesterday.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4294528sm.jpg

Simple design but effective.

Today, I hope to get some audio equipment in there and do some tests. I have to do this on a Sunday to have any hope of a quiet environment (because the rest of the house is under construction too).

Okay, I got in there between painters and floor sanders and got some quick measurments for sub placement and as a "before" picture prior to treatements.

First my setup:

Sub positioned in my primary seating position.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5014529sm.jpg

And mic down in the position of the sub (easier to move the mic around than the sub).

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5014530sm.jpg

This is not the sub that will eventually end up in the room, but, hopefully, it will do what we need for now.

Now, I marked each position on the floor that I took measurements from.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5014533sm.jpg

I'm not sure just how granular I need to be with this placement, but this seems like plenty considering the "point source" of my subwoofer will be somewhere in between or across 24" of woofer surface area and 12" of port surface area.

And here is the computer setup.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5014532sm.jpg

Okay, now for some measurements.

Position 1
http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Subpos1.jpg

Position 2
http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Subpos2.jpg

Position 3
http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Subpos3.jpg

Position 4
http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Subpos4.jpg

Position 5
http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Subpos5.jpg

If we can take care of that null at 74Hz with treatements, then I think I like Position 1 the best. If not, probably Position 4, but let's see what Bryan has to say.

And now, for grins, a measurement from where the fridge will be (in the back)

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Subinfridge.jpg

Of course, that's the smoothest one, but its really just not practical. I want a fridge and I don't think I'd ever be comfortable with the bass coming from behind me. I know, I know most bass is non-directional, but I think some of the subwoofer range is still in the area of directional hearing.

Oops. I forgot the "baseline" measurement I did. Here is the Subwoofer I used for testing measured outside - so we can see its response to compare to the room response.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/Suboutside.jpg

While that method is OK for finding a general location, I'd use do it the 'standard' way.

1,4, and 5 all have some things that are positive. I'd put the sub in those 3 positions and take measurements at your seating position (move the sub this time). Also, make sure that your displays are consistent. Some of yours above bottom at 10Hz and others are at 20Hz.

Position 2 is also interesting from about 70Hz down. Position 1 looks smoother up higher - but realistically that's a moot point since the sub will not be going that high and the mains won't be where you had the mic. Pretty much discount anything above about 100Hz.

Hmmm...I'm not sure what happened on the chart scale. I did all my sweeps (I thought) from 20-200.

As far as moving the sub, I think I'll have to wait until I have the real one. By doing it the "reverse" method I was able to closely approximate the position of my ears and the drivers of the real sub. I won't be able to do that the other way because my test sub is a single, forward firing 10" sub and the real one will be a dual downward firing 12" sub with three ports.

So, I guess I'll wait til the end to pick final placement for the sub when I can test more properly. It will be after treatments, however.

I discovered one other thing yesterday. I also took my Ascend 170s out there to take a quick listen with the speakers in their intended positions. I didn't like what I heard. The sound was much better when I pulled the speakers out to the sides and away from the "hole". Even with the speakers out of the hole, but still in front of it, the soundstage was squeezed. Really opened up when I pulled them to the sides.

I think this is due to two things. 1) The backs of the speakers (and, thus, their ports) were pointing into the hole and I think those reflections were killing the soundstage and 2) the speakers were just closer toghther. The first one may be helped when the treatements go in the "hole". The second, is a tougher issue. I may be scrambling here in a few days to figure out my front speakers. Hopefully, my Ascend 340s will ship this week and I can try it with them (and see if there is any way I can fit them out to the sides).

I discovered one other thing yesterday. I also took my Ascend 170s out there to take a quick listen with the speakers in their intended positions. I didn't like what I heard. The sound was much better when I pulled the speakers out to the sides and away from the "hole". Even with the speakers out of the hole, but still in front of it, the soundstage was squeezed. Really opened up when I pulled them to the sides.

I think this is due to two things. 1) The backs of the speakers (and, thus, their ports) were pointing into the hole and I think those reflections were killing the soundstage and 2) the speakers were just closer toghther. The first one may be helped when the treatements go in the "hole". The second, is a tougher issue. I may be scrambling here in a few days to figure out my front speakers. Hopefully, my Ascend 340s will ship this week and I can try it with them (and see if there is any way I can fit them out to the sides).
Theres a lot of stuff going on there, not sure how treatments are going to fix having the entire front soundstage so close, in a cave. I dont know if rear porting is such a huge deal, alot of people corner load their rear ported anyway. I would be thinking you're not only changing the baffle step on 1/2 of the L/R , but a 7' wide soundstage with nice speakers sounds really, really tight. We had a 12' spoundstage in a 19' wide room and it was nothing compared to the 16' wide that is is now. Now that I am probably going with the SMX720 AT screen I am wanting to get them back down to the 12' - 13' width so i will be watching to see how things go for you. I am guessing you will have to treat the fronts of those big Corners as well to help with the way sound comes from speakers if you are putting the baffles flush with the fronts of the corners. Either that or when you are checking for first reflections , include those corners as an extension of the baffle step. Then again everything I have said is hogwash, and thats a good possibility but I would also try treating the front of those corners if you must put those speakers in that hole. We found putting 4' of treatment around our surrounds we converted to inwalls worked really well.

I am not familiar with your speakers ( or any speakers for that matter ) since i have been building my own for years now but I am guessing they are floorstander D'Appolitos style?

I asked him to play with the speakers with the baffles aligned with the walls to the sides of the 'hole'. Still didn't produce the soundstage he's looking for.

This was something that we discussed early on in the design process. He wanted to try them in the hole. Looks like they're coming back out to where we originally had them planned.

What if he went with inwalls for the L/R? Again, I dont know anything about commercial speakers but I am sure B&W or Triad or someone makes some decent ones. I am guessing he obviously already has the speakers and likes them though. Nothing wrong with seeing them on the sides, I actually like that look. Maybe a false fabric wall if he doesnt like the look?

No speakers will be visible in my room. That's just the way I like it.

For them to fit to the sides, they'll have to fit in the space behind these framed proscenium walls:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/proscenium.jpg


But, Bryan is right. I am probably going to pull them out of the "hole". The problem is, the speakers I think I'm going to like the most won't fit out on the corners (I don't think). But, that is conjecture at this point since I don't even have them yet.

Mark, I would be interested in you talking me into maybe building a set of L/R mains I would be happy with... They would need to fit in about a 10"wide x 7" deep space. Height could be almost anything. Would need to be sealed or front ported. Just point me in the right direction to do some research on that, please.

As far as commercial speakers, the two I am considering are the Ascend 340SEs (my front runners) or the Axiom W22s (in/on wall). I don't actually have either of them. The Ascend have been on order forever, though and should ship this week. Open to any other suggestions that might fit as well.

Thanks.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4154443sm.jpg[/QUOTE]

Great Theater and good pictures.

Just wondering why you made the columns a little short of the tray ceiling? I've seen this done in the past, but never get around asking, now i'm getting close to building columns and stages, I figure I need to know know before I build one.

thanks,
jbhungvt

jb - A couple things. First, in that picture, the columns are sitting on the floor. When installed, they will actually be sitting on a 2x4 base, so that brings them up 1 1/2". Next, the underside of the soffit will be built down about 3/4".

The remaining space is left on purpose to make it easy to get the columns in place. They won't be put in until after the fabric is up (on the walls and the columns) so leaving an inch or two of clearance makes it easy to get it in there without messing anything up. That last inch or so is then covered up with crown.

Make sense?

Mark, I would be interested in you talking me into maybe building a set of L/R mains I would be happy with... They would need to fit in about a 10"wide x 7" deep space. Height could be almost anything. Would need to be sealed or front ported. Just point me in the right direction to do some research on that, please.

As far as commercial speakers, the two I am considering are the Ascend 340SEs (my front runners) or the Axiom W22s (in/on wall). I don't actually have either of them. The Ascend have been on order forever, though and should ship this week. Open to any other suggestions that might fit as well.

Thanks.Most of the speakers I make have about a 10" baffle that cannot be changed so to have them 7" deep they would be rather tall to make up the internal volumes, front porting is no trouble but that depth would be a tricky one, quick calculations put them a 6' tall and the ports would have to have 90 bends in them since they are almost a foot long.

I think I would go inwalls, I have some B&W inwall surrounds I have had for years as surrounds in another room and with SACD they sound very, very nice. Maybe some around here know of good inwalls. Again your depth makes it tough on volumes, anyone around here build DIY inwalls?

Thanks for your input, Mark. I probably have enough things to do finishing the room so I probably shouldn't take on another DIY project. I'll figure out a way to make the Ascends work in the space I have, or try out the Axiom W22s. I really think the Ascends will be a better speaker so I'll do what I can to get them in my space.

I personally think the Ascends are an excellent performer for the money. Those are what we've been working with all along.

There was a suggestion to pull that false wall out a little farther but there is a desire to keep as much 'space' out in the room as possible. Always tradeoffs.

I agree, Bryan. We'll figure it out. And it will sound awesome when we do... :)

Started laying out how the furring is going to need to go on one wall section today.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/furring1sm.jpg

Man, why did I go with this new fabric/trim pattern... :o. Well, I think it will look great when its done, but man, this is gonna be a lot of furring to put up. This isn't even all of it as the right side of this particular section won't go on until fabric is going up.

Looking good!

What is the pattern you are going for for the fabric?

Something like this:

Crown (actually a flat trim band)
12" Band of green fabric
Trim band (stained pine)
54" Band of brownish fabric
Trim band
36/24" Band of green fabric (depending on whether on riser or not)
Base board (trim band)

Make any sense at all? Actually, it will be alot like Sandman's but without the vertical panels in the middle section.

One reason this requires as much furring as it does is because the trim pieces will be "inset" in the fabric panels instead of on top of them. Sandman did his with actual panels he built off the wall. I'm going this way because, even though its a lot of furring it still will be less work this way than building frames - and I don't care about ever removing them.

[edit - Here's a picture that may help explain the design]

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/walldesign.JPG

Your theater has quite a bit of detailed work. Your theatre should look amazing once done.

How are you attaching the firing strips?

What did you use for firing and how did you get it to 1"? Also what is the height of those firing strips?

Thanks, Frank. I guess since this is the third, I should be an expert by now... ;)

I started out screwing the furring, but, with so many and with the thickness of the lumber (see below) it is just too difficult and time consuming. Its very hard to put the appropriate amount of pressure needed to get screws in when on a ladder and over your head. So, everywhere that a furring strip will cross a stud, I'm using my framing nailer. That's working much better. If one needs to go where there is no stud, I am screwing and glueing (liquid nails).

The furring you see above is all 2x3s so its 1 1/2" thick. I will have different thicknesses of treatments in different places. On the side walls, it will be 1" OC 703 but I will space it 1/2" off the wall with some strips of 1/2" material. I'm doing this to 1) gain a little bit more low frequency absorption and 2) be able to use standard dimensional lumber. In my last room, I ripped 2x6s down into 1 1/2" x 1" strips. With the amount of furring I need for this one, I didn't want to have to do that.

It is actually a little more expensive to use the real lumber. A 2x6 costs about $6.50 and will yield 5 1" strips (or, at least 4). 2x3s cost about $2, but, I don't have to do all that ripping.

I got almost a whole side wall of furring done this afternoon. As I mentioned above, I started using my framing nailer instead of screws for most of it and that has made things move a bit better. Still, a lot of work. Not "Greg Powers" amount of work, but enough for me.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/furring2sm.jpg

Furring stips take forever to get installed, and the amount I did was nothing compared to what you are doing!

You guys are worrying me. I am finishing my columns this week and then it is onto the furring strips. I thought that would be a little easier than you guys make it out to be. I know I have a few places were I need to think through the placement method to hide staple, but besides that, what is tough about them (beside ripping 2x6s - no fun).

Now I don't have the amount Ebr has, but he is pro on his 3rd theater.

Thanks

It isn't hard, just takes time. I installed inserts in the wall when I couldn't hit a stud, so that means drilling a hole through the strip first, which also starts the hole for the insert, then grab a different drill bit to get the right size for the insert, pound it in place with a hammer (lightly) and then screw the strip into place. Of course, if you need more than one insert, you have to have them all done before you start to put it in place....

There is a new commercial where this guy gets woken up by his neighbor installing wainscoating in his kitchen by hammering them in place. He goes over and takes a peice of the wainscoating wood, applies a bead of some adhesive based caulking (pressurized can like a can of hair mousse) and then pops it onto the wall. He then takes the hammer from the guy and applies the caulking to it and presses it onto the ceiling and walks out. Maybe that's the way to go for the furring strips too? Anyone?

ebr,

What are the overall dimensions of the opening on your columns? I am also using axioms and have been thinking about how to deal with the design of them in a column. What is the thickness of the metal you used on them?

Thanks

Ryan

J-dubb, Scott's right, its not hard, especially if you are just "rimming" the outside of the room. Usually, you can just slap the furring up and worry about lining up trim when you put that up. With my design, however, I have inset peices of trim so the furring has to be perfectly level and line up all the way around the room. I am obesessing over this a bit, I admit but I want to be sure I get it right. Just gonna take care and time.

Ryan, The openings are about 44" tall. I'm going to try them out like this and see if I think there's a problem with the up/down firing woofers. If there is, I may try to build some sort of reflective piece on the inside of the column to deflect the sound like the ceiling or floor should. We'll see.

More furring today. As I said, I'm obsessing a bit over lining everything up just right. The platform you can see in the foreground is for the tripod my laser level sits on so I can shoot the line all around the room.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/furring3sm.jpg

Not that exciting, I know, but if you're gonna have a construction thread, not all of it can be glamorous (unless you're Sandman :)).

My Rocket center channel came today. This thing is a beast.

I haven't even hooked it up to anything yet but I already love it :D.

ebr
Not that exciting, I know, but if you're gonna have a construction thread, not all of it can be glamorous Just photoshop in a photo of Kelly Monaco examining the fine woodwork. :)

Not a bad idea, Bob, but I think BigMouthinDC already won the prize for "best home theater picture - female" ;)

If I were a betting man, I'd wager you opened the box for the Ruby and fired that puppy up. Correct? What did you watch first?

Also, have you changed your design (for GOM) any? Curious why so many horizontal furring strips.

Bud

If I were a betting man, I'd wager you opened the box for the Ruby and fired that puppy up. Correct? What did you watch first?


You must be from Vegas... :)

King Kong.

But, the truly awesome experience was the little bit of HD-DVD I've tried out on it.

Check this out:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264516sm.jpg


http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264508sm.jpg

And those pictures were shot on moving video in a not completely dark room so there is motion blur in them.


Also, have you changed your design (for GOM) any? Curious why so many horizontal furring strips.



Yes, I've gone to a pattern like this:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/walldesign.JPG

A lot more work, but I think its gonna look really good when its finished. Also, the design ties into the way I built the columns so that I can remove the middle section.

Knew it! Looks great.

As you know, I'm sure. The GOM isn't bad, just time consuming. The design looks great, BTW.

Bud

My Rocket center channel came today. This thing is a beast.

I haven't even hooked it up to anything yet but I already love it :D.
ebr,

Are you still planning to use the Ascends 340SEs for the L/R fronts and the Axiom QS8s for your side and rear surrounds?

We'll find out soon enough, I think he gets the SEs tomorrow!

Bud

ebr,

Are you still planning to use the Ascends 340SEs for the L/R fronts and the Axiom QS8s for your side and rear surrounds?

That is still the plan. The QS8s are for sure and the Ascends I hope are. I need to see how I can fit them in the space I have.

That is still the plan. The QS8s are for sure and the Ascends I hope are. I need to see how I can fit them in the space I have.
Please let us know how the timbre matching is between the Ascends and the Rocket. Also, a pic of the three would be great so we can see the mammoth size of the Rocket compared to the Ascends :D

ebr,
Looking very good. Nice design.
Have you picked the available GOM colors yet?
I'm doing my GOM framing now, almost done. Very time consuming.
It's all Bud's fault. ;)

FWIW, I have QS8's and decided not to put them in my columns.
I may regret it down the road but I just couldn't come up a solution that seemed workable without enlarging the columns beyond the design spec.

I considered selling the QS8s and getting something that would fit but all of the ones I liked, like Revel S30's, were much bigger.

I think the QS8s are killer from movies.

Hmmm.... my wife says that alot too.

Bud

My GOM will be the following:

Soffit, Screen wall, Column middles - FR701 Black

http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2100_408.jpg

Middle part of main walls - FR701 Pumice

http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2100_423.jpg

Upper and lower bands of main walls - Anchorage Pine Needle

http://samplecenter.guilfordofmaine.com/html/images/sample/large/2335_2022.jpg

(its actually a darker, hunter green color in real life)

Okay, I couldn't stand it. Even though I don't have any kind of critical listening environment, I uncorked the Rocket center channel just now. And I love it even more. Here it is with my "normal" sized Polk center sitting on top of it. The MX-500 gives you a bit more scale too.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5094545sm.jpg

And without grills:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5094546sm.jpg

How could you not love a speaker that huge??

Enjoy that monster! Have you fired up a movie just for kicks to play with it?

Admit it, you have....

Enjoy that monster! Have you fired up a movie just for kicks to play with it?

Admit it, you have....
Scroll up about 10 posts and you'll find the answer.

I like how you did the columns! Bpape and I were sharing some emails about it and I think I might do mine the same way. I have the Ascend 170 SE's for my 4 surrounds and think I will do the same thing..... unless I change my mind which is easy to do.

Jerrod - one thing to be aware of with the way I built my columns... The metal angle irons are going to resonate, I'm afraid so they'll have to be damped. I tried some tape caulk and that helps but doesn't completely eliminate it. I may have to put a bunch of plumber's putty or something on there. I'll wait til its a problem before I try to fix it any more but I wanted you to be aware if you're going to copy them.

Scroll up about 10 posts and you'll find the answer.

I like how you did the columns! Bpape and I were sharing some emails about it and I think I might do mine the same way. I have the Ascend 170 SE's for my 4 surrounds and think I will do the same thing..... unless I change my mind which is easy to do.
Hi Jerrod,

How big will your column be in order to house the ascend 170SE for surrounds?
thanks,
jbhungvt

Hi EBR,

Sorry if I missed earlier. What color will you be using for your ceiling?

thanks

Hi EBR,

Sorry if I missed earlier. What color will you be using for your ceiling?

thanks

You didn't miss it. I hadn't said, but I plan to make it the same color as the last room (assuming I can still find that color):

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/New%20Theater/Construction/P1291944.jpg

That is "Volcano" by Valspar.

thanks ebr,

do you have a good picture with ceiling color you used (volcano) with your HT wall GOM scheme?
I went back to your construction pages and didn't find a good picture.

thanks

This is as good as its gonna get as far as a picture goes:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/New%20Theater/Construction/P4052085.jpg

Of course, this is the last room, not the GOM I will have this time.

This color pretty much just turns black when the lights are down. It's kind of a "night sky" look (without the stars) which is what I was going for.

BTW - I just got back from Lowes and couldn't find Volcano anymore. I found an Olympic color called "Celestial Blue" that looks very close and is probably what I'll use this time.

Well, my Ascend 340SEs just arrived and, well, the picture says it:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5114548.JPG

Talk about a downer...

Bummer. Was the box shot too or just something during packing?

Other than the tweeter being pushed in a little,
does it play ok?

Ouch,
You could try this..

Put a vacuum cleaner hose against the tweeter and suck it out.

Oh man, that SUCKS! Was the box damaged?

Bud

Ouch,
You could try this..

Put a vacuum cleaner hose against the tweeter and suck it out.
.. Oh and this is what would happen ;)

CLICK HERE (http://swithey.gotdns.org/swithey/ht/avs/leavemrk.wav)

If you choose to do that vacuum thing, be very carefull... I would call them first to see if they would still take it back if it doesn't work.

Sucks dude. Just means you have to wait a little longer to get a replacement. Why try sucking method, it is a brand new item that should be in a brand new shape. Just call and get it exchanged.

Why try sucking method, it is a brand new item that should be in a brand new shape. Just call and get it exchanged.

But if it's a simple fix that won't disturb the quality of the product, void the warrantee or show when you are looking at it, then why not take that step and correct it? :confused:

It will take more time and effort to send it back when it may be fixed an a matter of minutes. I would at least call and let them know about it, so that it doesn't happen to every shipment if they can easilly fix something in the shipping stream.

Just an update on the speaker delimma.

As I expected David (Ascend) was all over this like flies on...well, you know. No need to "suck" I think I can just massage the tweeter back in shape. David assures me that, once I do, it will perform as good as new. Still, he has already overnighted me a replacement tweeter.

THAT is customer service beyond anyone's expectations. Just an awesome company.

I am about to go try and pop it back into place and give a listen, but the kids are asleep and I have nowhere to really listen to it so I can't do much.

Update:

Here it is "popped" back into place:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5114552.JPG

You can see there are a couple of dimples still in the dome. Since the tweeter was in that shape for at least 6 days (how long it took to get to me) I guess that is to be expected. I believe David that it will still perform, but I will feel better replacing it.

THAT is customer service beyond anyone's expectations. Just an awesome company.

I do believe that Ascend is a great company but that level of customer service might be better attributed to the power of this forum.

Keep ebr happy!

I personally like the approach of getting out ahead of problems. Smart businessman.

billmac

This is as good as its gonna get as far as a picture goes:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/New%20Theater/Construction/P4052085.jpg

Of course, this is the last room, not the GOM I will have this time.

This color pretty much just turns black when the lights are down. It's kind of a "night sky" look (without the stars) which is what I was going for.

BTW - I just got back from Lowes and couldn't find Volcano anymore. I found an Olympic color called "Celestial Blue" that looks very close and is probably what I'll use this time.
Hey EBR,

I went to Lowes today and found the Volcano color from Valspar you had in your last theater room. It looks pretty nice. I might be using something very similar to this.
Thanks a lot for the idea.
jbhungvt

OK, no new posts since you replaced your tweeters, so I assume you're in blissful heaven listening to your Ascends?

Bud

Actually, was on a Cub Scout camping trip and now its Mother's Day, so I've not had a chance to do anything with the room or much with the speakers either. But I did try them biefly and I think I will like them very much. Just have to figure out how to fit them in...

Got some more furring done today. Still more to do.

Hopefully, the drywall finishers will FINALLY come sand my ceiling tomorow so that I can paint that and then really kick everything into gear. I want to have the room basically complete in four weeks...

They did finally come finish sanding my ceiling and so I got the first coat up today.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/ceiling1sm.jpg

Its still wet here so that's why it looks shiny and uneven. Well, that's part of why anyway. I sprung for a paint sprayer to try and make the job easier and this was my first attempt at it. I imagine I have a bit of sanding and re-painting in my future but we'll see how it dries.

The sprayer did make the job quicker and easier and ultimately I think it will be easier to get a good finish than with a roller but, wow, what a mess. Everything is blue now...

It looks a little blotchy right now, but as you say, it's still wet, things change when it dries.

BTW, when I did my theater ceiling, I used a paintmate roller with the paint in the handle, worked good, except I didn't mind stopping to give my arms a break and allow the blood to flow to my hands again. I had to do two coats and then go back and hit all the white spots with a brush after the ridges in the textured ceiling (knock down texture) revealed all kinds of white spots. Sprayer would have been easier...

I think a lot of that "blotchyness" is wet paint, but we'll see.

There is definitely that one spot that dripped badly that will have to be sanded out and gone back over. Luckily, this will be a dark room :).

BTW - this is the same color as the last room. I went back to Lowes and found the "Volcano" color so I went with that since I knew exactly what to expect.

I would tell you a little story about Lowes and their "paints" but I have to run, Wal-Mart brand paint has won the ole best paint on the market in several studies for almost a decade now, beating brands like Sherwin Williams, Rodda and others while keeping it cheap and usually one coat coverage. I had a friend tell me this about 7 years ago and I never turned back when choosing paint. I go to Lowes and pick out the colors from their $30 a gallon brands and walk next door to Wal-Mart and they match perfectly.

The problem with Lowes is that they can only give you what their crappy computer tells them they can mix and the best colors are in the high dollar paints ( how convienant) and then its some Eddie Bauer crap that takes 3 coats. Next painting adventure, try Walmart with others color swatches, you will never use another brand like Olympic ( garbage) again

Very interesting, Mark. I'll have to check that out next time. I got the cheapo version at Lowes - $9.00/gal.

I will say that there is a difference in paint. For the ceiling of my theater I'm not that concerned about it, but for the rest of the house we found a profound difference in the paints from Duron and Benjamin Moore. The BM has much better color "depth" and goes on much smoother and thicker. The Duron looks like watered down milk when you paint with it compared to the BM. Of course, BM is more expensive. I'd be interested in comparing the Wal-Mart stuff to BM.

I sprung for a paint sprayer to try and make the job easier and this was my first attempt at it. I imagine I have a bit of sanding and re-painting in my future but we'll see how it dries.

The sprayer did make the job quicker and easier and ultimately I think it will be easier to get a good finish than with a roller but, wow, what a mess. Everything is blue now...
ebr,

Still contemplating buying a sprayer for myself. What did you end up getting? How big a compressor did you buy? Since I was thinking of hiring it out, it may be a wash to buy the compressor for this job (and do it myself). I know I will have other projects to use it on -- just not too excited about the garage space for the compressor or the $$ out for a Turbine setup

Compressors don't need to be big anymore for most projects. You need to know how many CFM are needed for whatever tools you plan to run and go from there. Unfortunatly, I have a 220V horizontal style compressor sitting in my garage taking up space. I will be replacing it with a small 110V compressor when I get the need for a compressor again.

ebr,
You're theater is coming along beautifully. I'm a lurker on multiple build threads here as I plan to start construction this fall.

Sounds like those Ascend 170s in your columns is going to be a tight fit. I plan on getting Ascend 340 SEs for the front and 170s for all the surrounds. Spoke with David Fabrikant at Ascend and was told they recommend a minimum of 3" rear clearance for the 170s (at 80hz crossover). If I remember right, your columns are only 8" deep. 170s are 6.375"D + 3" = 9.375! Uh oh.
Not sure what the 170s measure without the grill on them though. Maybe that is gaining you enough space. To gain the extra space, I plan to build an inset into the wall. Imagine drawing an 18"W x 24"H square behind the speaker, then push that drywall back a couple inches. David tells me this should not negatively impact sound.

David also told me the 340s should have 6-10" clearance behind them. I'm not sure how that affects your front soundstage.

Keep up the great work!

Steve - my compressor is just a little 6 gal pancake. All the air driven sprayers I looked at said you needed a much larger one than that to operate them. Makes sense as it needs to be able to drive a continuous feed of air as opposed to little blasts required by most tools.

So, I bought one of the Wagner electric sprayers. What I've learned is, either this thing sucks or I suck at spraying. Could be both. I'm having an even harder time getting a good finish on the ceiling this time than I did last time. Still working on it.

lektern - My 170s are actually my mains in my TV watching area (outside the theater). I will have Axiom QS8s as surrounds in my columns.

Steve - my compressor is just a little 6 gal pancake. All the air driven sprayers I looked at said you needed a much larger one than that to operate them. Makes sense as it needs to be able to drive a continuous feed of air as opposed to little blasts required by most tools.

So, I bought one of the Wagner electric sprayers. What I've learned is, either this thing sucks or I suck at spraying. Could be both. I'm having an even harder time getting a good finish on the ceiling this time than I did last time. Still working on it.
Thanks for the info ebr. I have one of those small 6gal pancake compressors myself. I've also heard similar stories about the Wagner sprayers too. I think the consensus on these is they do suck. So your painting skills are probably not as bad as you think :D

Compressors don't need to be big anymore for most projects. You need to know how many CFM are needed for whatever tools you plan to run and go from there. Unfortunatly, I have a 220V horizontal style compressor sitting in my garage taking up space. I will be replacing it with a small 110V compressor when I get the need for a compressor again.
Scott,

Thanks for the info. Yes, compressors are a lot smaller these days with high CFM. I was looking at a horizontal 110volt 33gal job at Sears (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=00916732000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes) or maybe this one (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=00916644000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes) for $90 less (but I think its too small for larger jobs at only 4.9 SCFM - very borderline). Since I would not be able to lug this thing up to the second floor, I'd just need to put it in the backyard and run the air hose up to the "soon to be covered up" 2nd floor Media Room window. I'm getting a professional quote tonight to paint the room (and some other rooms in the house). I'll know at that point if its worth the hassel to do it myself or not. Of course, rolling is still an option but after Bud put 3 coats on his ceiling, I'm not sure if I'm up for that.

lektern - My 170s are actually my mains in my TV watching area (outside the theater). I will have Axiom QS8s as surrounds in my columns.

Well slap me up side the head and call me Stupid! :o I just realized I read that earlier in your post. Sorry :(

Okay. So here's the ceiling. Sprayed, rolled and then sprayed again. Still not too good but it will never have direct light on it (certainly never as much light as this flash is putting on it) and it will be pretty dark in there most of the time... I may try rolling it one more time. We'll see.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5194601sm.jpg

Also started hanging the cotton in "the hole". I'm using those same insulation pins that Bud did but I didn't go to the trouble of bending them into nice handles. Just sticking them through my hanging boards and the material and then hammering them into the sheetrock. Seems to work okay.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5194602sm.jpg

And here it is all hung. 7" deep cotton in there.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5194603sm.jpg

Thanks for the info. Yes, compressors are a lot smaller these days with high CFM. I was looking at a horizontal 110volt 33gal job at Sears (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=00916732000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes) or maybe this one (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=00916644000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes) for $90 less...

FYI, those are both vertical style compressors... :cool:

FYI, those are both vertical style compressors... :cool:
Scott,

I thought vertical would be better since it took up less floor space. Did you want to stay horizontal when you replaced yours?

When I do replace my compressor, it will definatly be something vertical or something that is just plain small and compact, maybe one of the short ones that has two small horizontal tanks or something. Also, it will be something that I can move around and plug into 110v. Currently, my compressor is 220v and I can only plug it in at one location. I do have a long extention cord that my mom got for it (it was hers before I got it since it was going to cost more than the cost of a new one just to get the new house wired for 220v in her garage).

Finally got an acceptable finish on my ceiling. I may still touch up a few areas, but its much better now.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5204604sm.jpg

The answer was better paint. I got a new gallon of the $22/gal paint instead of the $9/gal and that made the difference. The cheap stuff looked like water compared to this paint. It went on much thicker and smoother.

Now that the ceiling is painted, I can start on my light tray. Here is the drywall lift I rented lifting the first piece into place. Couldn't have done this without that lift.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5204605sm.jpg

I'm using particle board shelving material this time instead of MDF because it will be so much easier to fasten into - for both stapling fabric and screwing the actual pieces into place. Also, it comes in these nice 5/8 x 12 x 6 foot pieces that will work very nicely for my space.

Here are is the rear part of the tray up.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5204607sm.jpg

I won't put the lip on it until after fabric because I plan to use a piece of stained material for that.

Finally, for today, I tested speaker positioning again. This time with my 340SEs and with the cotton in the hole.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5204606sm.jpg

Something made a big difference. Maybe its that the 340s are that much better at imaging or maybe it is killing those back reflections or maybe its both, but the soundstage with the "behind the screen" positioning is quite pleasing now.

The only option for pulling these 340s to the sides is to put them all the way in the corners. In addition to the corner loading problem that creates, it actually makes an artificially wide sound stage. I think having them in the behind the screen position will give good stereo effect and actually tie the soundstage to the picture.

That's my thinking today anyway.

Finally got an acceptable finish on my ceiling. I may still touch up a few areas, but its much better now.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5204604sm.jpg

The answer was better paint. I got a new gallon of the $22/gal paint instead of the $9/gal and that made the difference. The cheap stuff looked like water compared to this paint. It went on much thicker and smoother.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! That looks perfect. I guess 3 coats and good paint is the trick. I'm looking to have (2) coats sprayed on with some $22/gal Sherwin Williams ProMar 400 or their Color Accents (designed for deep/dark colors).

Also, glad those Ascends sound better in the "hole" that the others. You might ask Bryan if you need any absorbtion on the inner sides of the "hole" to help with reflections.

BTW -- Is that a satin/eggshell or flat finish on your paint?

Yeah, what a difference. Some of it may be the finish - this final coat is an eggshell. It has a little more sheen to it, but I like the way it looks better than the flat (when its a color as dark as this). Most of the difference, I'm pretty sure, however is the quality of the paint itself. I should never have tried the cheap stuff. I learned the difference with quality paint when we were working on the rest of the house so that's a mistake I shouldn't have made.

Bryan has me all set with treatments - and that includes those sides you mentioned. I just don't have any of that up yet. The builder is supposed to sand my platform floor next week and I'm waiting for that before I get any more treatments in there.

Finished the light tray today - well, as much as I can do right now. The lip won't go on until after fabric.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5214608sm.jpg

I left a gap on the four corners so I can lay furring in there while fabric is going up to create a nice smooth seam.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5214609sm.jpg

The builder is supposed to sand the platform floor to take off all the excess glue and get a nice smooth subfloor for carpet. Hopefully, that will happen early this week and then I can go to town with the treatments and fabric. I still have a little bit of furring to put up so I'll get to that while I'm waiting for the sanding.

Try putting the speakers at the side walls of the hole and with the front baffle flush with the bump outs.

Bryan

Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that because there won't be enough room between the sidewall of the hole and the screen framing (only about 4"). I do have the speaker baffles just outside the hole though.

Then plan on filling the 'gap' between the side of the monitor and the wall with some strips of 703. Another option is to 'extend' the wall by building an extension out to meet the speaker baffle. Leave room for some 2" 703 to build up flush.

Working on the screen wall today. This is my original thinking on screen height:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5234611sm.jpg

But now I'm thinking maybe to go a little higher:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5234610sm.jpg

I think the higher one has a little better proportions to it and, the higher I can get the screen, the less of a problem mounting the projector is. The Ruby doesn't have much vertical lens shift.

Opinions....?

I think you current height (the 2nd of the two) looks fine. The rule of thumb is 1/3 the way up the screen should be level with the viewers eyes.

Just be sure your not looking "up" too much when watching the movie. When I was experimenting with my room (and a 10' screen :eek: ), the top of the 1.78:1 screen was at 7'. After watching "Finding Nemo" at that height (seating distance about 13' away -- yes a bit close, I know -- but it was HUGE), I was tired of looking up. You look to be well below 7' - so no issues there.

Side question -- how did you cut you cotton? Electric knife as Bryan suggests or a table saw like Ruben did.

Lastly -- taking the day off?? I wish I could have done that today :)

Oh, one more question -- are you planning to use an AT screen to hide those Ascends or have you found a place to put them outside the screen?

I mounted the projector first, then adjusted based on viewing. Try and give yourself some flexibility on you wall where you can raise of lower it easily. Double or triple the horizontal studs.

Steve,

I used a razor knife. Worked OK.

Bud

I mounted the projector first, then adjusted based on viewing. Try and give yourswlf some flexibility on you wall where you can raise of lower it easily. Double or triple the horizontal studs.
I just turned a 2x6 on edge to get some wiggle room instead of stacking 2x4s.

Steve,

I used a razor knife. Worked OK.

Bud
Thanks Bud. I may use "you'll cut your fingers off" table saw method. I have an idea for a jig that should make it a lot safer.

The higher screen position is perfect for me from the second row (my prime viewing position). It might be slightly high for the front row but, without the actual chairs yet, its hard to be certain. I'll probably go with the higher one.

I haven't had to cut any cotton yet. It came in 96" lengths and that area just happens to be just over 8' tall. Not sure how I'll do it when I need to.

I work from home and have a lot of my stuff automated (so my computer does it for me) plus, its been a slow few days so I'm able to work on the room during the day. House is only three weeks from complete so its crunch time for me on the room.

Current plan is for a Dazian CCC screen, so, yes. AT.

I mounted the projector first, then adjusted based on viewing.
Bud
Smart Man :cool:

Current plan is for a Dazian CCC screen, so, yes. AT.
ebr, have you seen this comparison of the Diazian CCC? Just an FYI.

http://www.smxscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70

ebr, have you seen this comparison of the Diazian CCC? Just an FYI.

http://www.smxscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70
Hey bought that screen. It just produced alot of moire for him.

Hey bought that screen. It just produced alot of moire for him.
Damn -- you're right! I forgot about that. I remember how. Sorry ebr and thanks Big Worms for reminding me.

Damn -- you're right! I forgot about that. I remember how. Sorry ebr and thanks Big Worms for reminding me.
No problem. ;)

Big is right. I had moire' problems, plus I could see the weave from my viewing distance which bothered me. Brightness doesn't tell the story for me. Coming from CRT I'm not used to light cannons. I like contrast, great blacks a smooth picture and creating the "feel" of the movie (I don't watch HDTV sports in my room much).

Here is my Dazian CCC screen:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264516sm.jpg

Works for me.

Electrician is finally working on the house now and I'm putting my trims up so he can test. Here is my black on black trim I got for my cans.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/reccan.jpg

Also working on the projector mount. Here is the ceiling plate I'm building.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5234612sm.jpg

I also got some more of the furring done today. Tomorrow, more furring and more work on the projector mount.

Didn't get a whole lot done yesterday because I was helping the electrician with the Insteon install for the rest of the house and we ran into a couple electrical issues in the theater.

I did get my ceiling plate up. Today I hope to get the rest of the mount up.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5244614sm.jpg

Here is one of the electrical issues. I had to move the location of my sconces because I built my proscenium wall differently than designed.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5244615sm.jpg

Now, the old box on two of them is now a "junction" box because there are connections in there. The code says any junction box has to be accessible. The question is, what, exactly is "accessible". I know there are outlets behind my built-in refrigerator so can this be behind a fabric wall panel? We'll see...

Now, the old box on two of them is now a "junction" box because there are connections in there. The code says any junction box has to be accessible. The question is, what, exactly is "accessible". I know there are outlets behind my built-in refrigerator so can this be behind a fabric wall panel? We'll see...
I think that means you cannot cover them with drywall. As long as you can get to them somehow, you're goods to go. But, it's just a guess.

I think that means you cannot cover them with drywall. As long as you can get to them somehow, you're goods to go. But, it's just a guess.
ANYTHING in the code is subject to the interpretation of the inspector. But I agree with swithey.

Another slow day. Got the projector mount basically finished, though.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5254616sm.jpg

Maybe tomorrow I'll haul the Ruby down there and confirm my screen wall setup.

Is that a Chief mount? Also, is the vent an intake or are you blowing air on hte Ruby? Love the ceiling color.

Bud

Yeah, I broke down and bought a real mount. I found one for less than $100 and decided that was worth it to be sure my new baby stays on the ceiling. It is the Chief RPA-020 and then just a 12" section of normal lead pipe (from your favorite store :)) painted black. I made the ceiling plate out of some extra 3/4" plywood I had and some molding I picked up from the house construction going on.

That is the return air for the room - strategically positioned right behind/above the furnace that is the Ruby.

Electrician didn't show today so I moved an outlet that needed moving myself.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5264618sm.jpg

Also went ahead and got the Grafik Eye installed properly. He had left it hanging out of the wall cuz he couldn't figure out how to get it all in that box.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5264619sm.jpg

Finally, got to work on the facing for the stage steps (its obviously not tacked down yet). This will be stained to match the rest of the trim and I think it will look really nice when finished.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5264620sm.jpg

Gonna take a little time off from the room this weeked for family, but I need to still do some work because, well, the house is supposed to be finished in less than three weeks and I need to keep up.

Progress over the hoiday.

First, I finished doubling up the furring on the back wall. 3" of material here...

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294623sm.jpg

Now, on to putting up some of the treatments. I want to get some of these side panels up just to test things out.

First, since I've got 1 1/2" deep furring I'm putting some strips of 1/2" material to space the 703 out.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294624sm.jpg

Then, on goes the OC 703.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294625sm.jpg



And, then, the fabric.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294626sm.jpg

I want to post a simple pictorial of my approach to inside corners since I'm asked about it a lot. The first part is planning it out because you need to leave one of your furring strips off the wall until its time to hang the fabric.

Notice the missing furring strip in this picture:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294625sm.jpg

Okay, so you've got one wall with a missing furring strip. First, you put the fabric up on the other wall (the other side of the inside corner. You staple this fabric to the edge of its furring such that those staples will be covered by the furring on the adjacent wall.

Next, hang the fabric for the adjacent wall "backwards". Tack it up (with a couple thumb tacks) to the wall you just fabric'ed with the backside facing out and the edge right up against the other edge:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294627sm.jpg

Then staple it along that inside corner edge right along the same place you stapled the other fabric. Once that is done, you can put that missing piece of furring in there.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294628sm.jpg

Then, just un-thumb tack the fabric and bring it around over top of the furring strip and into its proper place.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5294629sm.jpg

Viola'. Inside corner with no visible staples or trim required.

Those are the biggest friggin furring strips I have seen! I used 3/4" plywood cut to about 1 1/2" wide, you went with 2x4's!

Actually, they're 2x3s but, yes, they are big furring strips :). No ripping for me this time!

Coming together nicely! The blue ceilgin really turned out good after the extra coats and better paint. The pictures actually do it justice!

Here are a couple of the panels I did the other night. You can see the test trim pieces to give you an idea of the finish.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5314632sm.jpg

Today I finished applying the facing to the stage step risers and put on the stain. No poly here yet - that's tomorrow.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P5314631sm.jpg

Its not quite as dark as it looks in this pic. Its pretty much the same as those other trim pieces.

Hey - is it only me, Steve, Scott and Jerrod watching this thing or are there lots of you just lurking out there...?

Just wondering if I'm mostly talking to myself here.

I know I've been lurking...
I have really enjoyed watching your theater (and SanmanX, Ronnie, MrPoindexter, etc) come together.
Keep up the great work (and presenting it too all of us)
it is very much apreciated

Thanks
Greg

Nice pictoral on the finer points of Gommage!
Is it just you or do you feel you're being watched ;)

ebr,
If you haven't noticed I've been watching your thread, it's only because I'm so sneaky. You're theater is looking awesome. Keep up the great work!

Dave - I think it was the cammo... ;)

Thx.

ebr,
I'm sure it's been stated in this thread or another, but what exactly does the 703 do? Is it just a different version of Linacoustic for sound absorption?

Still pleased with your Ascend SE340s? I'm looking at going with them.

Cammo! It's the new black.

Cammo, It's not just for war!

Maybe I should do my theater in cammo?!? Anyone know what the WAF is on cammo? :-o

Hey - is it only me, Steve, Scott and Jerrod watching this thing or are there lots of you just lurking out there...?

Just wondering if I'm mostly talking to myself here.

I subscribed to this thread back when you were posting about the bass absorber you were making. So, I'm here... quitely taking notes. ;)

Maybe I should do my theater in cammo?!? Anyone know what the WAF is on cammo? :-o

Zero. My wife mentioned that we needed new sheets so as a joke I ordered some from Cabelas in Realtree Cammo. Didn't go over real well.

Hey EBR,
I'm here lurking and following your thread. YOu're not alone. Keep up all the pictures and documentations.

When will the main door be put in? After furring and After gomming?

Dave - the 703 is a linacoustic equivalent. I've always used the JM stuff before but I got the 703 from Bryan this time. I kind of like it. The 4 x 8 rigid panels are very easy to work with. On the Ascends, I haven't had a chance to really put them through the paces yet, but, so far, I am still very pleased.

jb - Main door? Its actually already hung (but not completely painted. Nothing special, just a solid core, weather stripped door that will be painted dark green like the rest of the basement.

All - thanks for letting me know I'm not whistling by myself. :)

jb - Main door? Its actually already hung (but not completely painted. Nothing special, just a solid core, weather stripped door that will be painted dark green like the rest of the basement.


Hi EBR,

When you hang your door, did you leave an extra inch or so past the drywall on the inside of your room to accomodate the extra linacoustic thickness?
I always thought the door is hang after you put in gom/linacoustic, but I guess i'm wrong.
When you get a chance, could you take a picture of your door and how you're planning it around the furring strip/gom and linacoustic?

thanks,

Hi EBR,

When you hang your door, did you leave an extra inch or so past the drywall on the inside of your room to accomodate the extra linacoustic thickness?
I always thought the door is hang after you put in gom/linacoustic, but I guess i'm wrong.
When you get a chance, could you take a picture of your door and how you're planning it around the furring strip/gom and linacoustic?

thanks,
Depends. My doors open out of the theater, therefore they're installed on the outside of the theater door jamb. You leave an inch for the furring strip (in preparation for the Lincacoustic/703. In my case, I had 2x6 construction, plus the width for the furring, so I had to extend the jambs on the HT room side. If your door opens into the theater, then I'd put the door on after GOM. I actually have two doors in my HT room and I did one before and one after GOM (had to special order the door). Both my doors opened out though.

Bud

Hi EBR,

When you hang your door, did you leave an extra inch or so past the drywall on the inside of your room to accomodate the extra linacoustic thickness?
I always thought the door is hang after you put in gom/linacoustic, but I guess i'm wrong.
When you get a chance, could you take a picture of your door and how you're planning it around the furring strip/gom and linacoustic?

thanks,

Ah, I see what you are asking about now. My situation is even more complex than Bud's as I have two actual walls side by side (room in a room). Here is a pic of the doorway before the door went on.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3014303sm.jpg

I'll snap a pic of it now later this afternoon but they only installed a normal door/jamb on the outside wall. So, after I GOM in that area, I'll extend the jamb with a 2x6 ripped to exactly the right size. Make sense...?

Here is the first coat of poly.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P6014633sm.jpg

I'm not that crazy about the way this material took the stain so I may end up carpeting those areas after all. We'll see how it looks when more of the room has come together.

Here is the first coat of poly.

I'm not that crazy about the way this material took the stain so I may end up carpeting those areas after all. We'll see how it looks when more of the room has come together.
What kind of wood is that? I'm using maple and I had to seal it 1st before I stained to get an even coverage.

BTW -- from the pics, it does not look bad.

It was pre-sanded 1/4" plywood. I assume its a type of pine. I treated it the same as the trim I am using - pre-stain treatement and then two coats of stain but it didn't take it as evenly as the trim material (which is also pine, but probably a higher grade).

Maple is tough to stain...

It may be okay. I'll have the carpet guys cut peices for that area so I can put them up if I decide its not up to par.

It was pre-sanded 1/4" plywood. I assume its a type of pine. I treated it the same as the trim I am using - pre-stain treatement and then two coats of stain but it didn't take it as evenly as the trim material (which is also pine, but probably a higher grade).

Maple is tough to stain...

It may be okay. I'll have the carpet guys cut peices for that area so I can put them up if I decide its not up to par.
Yep , plywood will not stain too well. You could put a few thin pieces of 1/4 OAK plywood ($30 at HD). You know that stains beautifully based on Ronnie's HT. However, I'm not sure you can loose the 1/4" space under your lip. Else, the carpet should be fine. I just like the look of the wood in your room. It adds a nice custom touch :)

Yeah, I needed something thin to apply to that space. I could give up another 1/4" if I was sure it would work but I don't want Oak because the whole rest of the room is pine. The grain pattern of oak is very distinctive and I want to maintain the pine look.

Yeah, I needed something thin to apply to that space. I could give up another 1/4" if I was sure it would work but I don't want Oak because the whole rest of the room is pine. The grain pattern of oak is very distinctive and I want to maintain the pine look.
I follow you. I did not know you were a pine man like Bud :D I hope you get it all worked out.

How about a nice coat of paint with a color similar to your other stained peices?

Ronnie

Ah, I see what you are asking about now. My situation is even more complex than Bud's as I have two actual walls side by side (room in a room). Here is a pic of the doorway before the door went on.

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P3014303sm.jpg

I'll snap a pic of it now later this afternoon but they only installed a normal door/jamb on the outside wall. So, after I GOM in that area, I'll extend the jamb with a 2x6 ripped to exactly the right size. Make sense...?

double wall? that's great! My HT entrance is also double wall. I originally planned to have 1 door open inside the HT and 1 door open outside the HT. Now I just ordered 1 door to open inside the HT. I'll see if the 1 door seal up the room well enough. If not then I'll just buy another one like I had planned.

Did you install 2 doors already?

thanks